The Scorpion’s Tail by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

FBI Agent Corrie Swanson and archeologist Nora Kelly team up once again in this gripping thriller.

After a sheriff is shot stopping a relic hunter digging up a seventy-five year old corpse in a perfectly preserved abandoned mining town, FBI Agent Corrie Swanson gets assigned the case to determine if the dead body was a product of foul play.

Corrie calls in a favor from Nora Kelly to help her exhume the body for forensic examination. What they find is a mystery with links to a legendary treasure and a lot of people who will do anything to get their hands on it.

I’m a fan of Preston and Child’s work, so I was bound to enjoy this book. Nora and Corrie’s first outing, Old Bones, was highly enjoyable (and started my search for Bigfoot literature), and The Scorpion’s Tail is just as good, if not better.

I’ve loved Corrie’s character since she first appeared in Still Life With Crows, and it’s nice to see her finding her feet as a FBI agent. She’s intense, honest and often brusque, and I love how much she cares about what she does.

Nora took longer for me to warm to, mainly because of her romance with William Smithback, but I like learning more about her, her university interactions are painfully accurate, and I love her brother, Skip.

While there was no paranormal element to this book’s plot, which is usually the part of Preston and Child’s novels that I enjoy most, it has a strong story that kept me engrossed and I finished the book in one sitting.

The author’s excel in describing the American landscape and filling it with fascinating artifacts and quirky characters. The Scorpion’s Tail doesn’t disappoint, with a perfectly preserved ghost town, a stunning treasure and an abandoned ranch house, all tied into real historical events that strengthen the plot.

I award The Scorpion’s Tail…

The Scorpion’s Tale is available for $6.90 ebook and $29 print book on Amazon.

---

Click on the book names to read my review of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s Pendergast novels: Crooked River and Verses for the Dead.